What Happened to Ovechkin's Mirrored Visor?

I'm talking about the one-of-a-kind visor the star winger (sometimes) sported last season, the one fans loved and opposing goaltenders hated.

I do know a handful of goalies complained the visor gave Ovechkin a competitive advantage because they could not see his eyes. I've also heard the NHL's marketing gurus did not like the visor because it obscured Ovechkin's face and masked his expressions.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, I cornered Ovechkin in the visiting dressing room at Xcel Energy Center this morning.

Here's how our conversation went:

Me: Alex, where is your mirrored visor?

Alex: I'm wearing this one. (He pointed to the rather mundane smoked visor attached to his helmet.)

Me: No, I'm talking about the really cool one, the one that made you look like RoboCop.

Alex: I don't know.

Me: Did the NHL ask you to stop wearing it?

Alex: No.

Me: Are you lying to me?

Ovechkin didn't answer. He just smiled. It was the kind of smile that said, 'Hey, you're on to something. But I'm not saying.'

So I tracked down General Manager George McPhee.

"I'm not sure who has complained about it," he said. "But it's been discussed at the manager level and discussed with the union. At some point, we're going have to come up with some sort of ruling. But I don't think there's anything in place at this point."

McPhee said the league's GMs took a vote on the issue a few months ago. The vote was 29-1 against allowing mirrored visors. McPhee was the only GM who was in favor of it.

"I think players should be able to wear whatever they want," McPhee said.

I'll keep digging. But for now it seems Ovechkin will have to express his individuality by wearing yellow skate laces and scoring goals while sliding on his back.